Markets

The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) is urging the European Union to adopt legislation against forced labor in the PV industry, by explicitly calling for measures to prevent solar products produced with forced labor from entering the European market.

Swiss scientists claim no distribution grid expansion is needed to increase the share of solar PV in energy systems, but they warn that priority dispatch for PV during peak loads may become a serious issue in the years to come. Among a range of recommendations, they proposed reducing peak loads by developing grid-serving behavior with PV system owners having to do their part.

The rise of cost-effective TOPCon cell technology last year led to a ‘surge’ in production demand for solar n-type cell technology, with leading industry analysts TrendForce prophesying PERC cell capacities ‘may’ be phased out in two to three years. The company’s experts, however, warn that oversupply for p-type cells and modules may increase the price gap between n-type and p-type products in the upcoming months.

Almost every weekend since Easter, European generators have been paid to power down plants but some Northern European nations are experiencing record electricity prices. An energy system set up for fossil fuels is in urgent need of reform, according to Gerard Reid, co-founder and partner of Alexa Capital.

Q Energy says it will deploy a 74.3 MW floating PV array in northwestern France. The project should take around 18 months to complete, with commissioning scheduled for 2025.

A research group led by the Technical University of Denmark has analyzed how booster heat pumps may effectively improve the performance of ultra-low temperature district heating networks in colder climates and has found that the refrigerant change plays a crucial role. They also said that powering these heat pumps with renewables may also better integrate clean sources in energy systems.

India’s SJVN has launched a tender process for the construction of 1.5 GW wind-solar hybrid power projects in India on a build-own-operate basis. Prospective developers have until Nov. 2 to submit bids.

Swedish manufacturer Qvantum has announced plans to set up a heat pump factory in Hungary. The new facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of 1 million heat pumps.

Electra Power, an Israeli energy supplier, is now in negotiations to sell its PV operations for up to $7.88 million. Last year, it reported an operational capacity of 4.7 MW and a project backlog of 25 MW.

EDF Renewables UK and Ireland, a unit of French energy giant EDF, has acquired UK solar installer SAS Energy. It says the acquisition will facilitate new projects in the solar, electric vehicle, and battery storage sectors.